Nickel and Balloon lost track of time as they kissed in the dimly lit room, and soon enough, voices outside the cabin indicated the return of the bright lights from dinner. They pulled away from their kissing, giggling softly to each other. Balloon moved back onto the floor and grabbed the first aid kit, putting it back into Nickel's bag as the others entered the cabin. They would've continued kissing if it wasn't for the fact they shared the cabin with the others. Oh well... maybe they could kiss later?

"Oh! So you're both here—shit! Nickel! Are you okay? Those look nasty..." Lightbulb exclaimed when she noticed Nickel's bruises.

"I'm okay, just fell..." Nickel smiled weakly. "Balloon helped me feel better though..." He glanced down at Balloon and smiled, his face flushing pink.

"Great to know," Paintbrush said bluntly. "Anyways—should we play Uno?!" They smiled.

"I was thinking something like truth or dare!" Lightbulb giggled.

"Sure, whatever you want, babe," Paintbrush shrugged and sat down on the floor.

Test Tube and Fan sat on the opposite bed, while Lightbulb joined Paintbrush and Balloon on the floor.

"Who wants to start?" Fan asked excitedly.

"Sure, I'll start. Truth or dare, Nickel?" Paintbrush asked.

Nickel hadn't realised he had to be involved in this game. Whatever.

"Dare, as long as I don't have to get up," he shrugged.

Paintbrush thought for a moment, then smirked when they got an idea. "I dare you to give everyone here at least one compliment, including Fan."

"Hey!" Fan exclaimed.

Nickel groaned, throwing his head back. "Do I have to?" he pleaded.

"It can't be that hard to be nice to us," Paintbrush spoke bluntly.

"Fine...uh, Test Tube, I like that you care about Balloon's well-being, Lightbulb... you're nice, I guess... Paintbrush, you get right to the point, I respect that, Fan..." He tried to think of something nice to say. "You... you exist, and that's good, because uh—your friends seem to like you around...?" Nickel shrugged. He wasn't really sure if that cut it.

"Wow... what a compliment..." Fan muttered sarcastically.

"What about me?" Balloon smiled up at Nickel.

"What about you? Of course! How could I ever forget..." Nickel smiled brightly. "Well... you're adorable, sweet, caring, pretty, funny... a good kisser," Nickel purred playfully at Balloon.

"Okay—I said, say one compliment each! Please stop before I throw up," Paintbrush cut in.

Balloon giggled, his face bright red from all the compliments. He found it cute how carried away Nickel got with complimenting him.

"Guess it's my turn to ask, then?" Nickel shrugged, looking away from Balloon. He often found himself lost in Balloon's eyes if he stared too long.

"Truth or dare, Fan?" Nickel asked. There was something he wanted to get to the bottom of.

"Uh, truth?" Fan replied with a shrug.

"What exactly did you tell Knife?" Nickel was genuinely curious. Knowing the details could be useful, especially if Fan had shared any trash talk with Knife.

"Oh—well... I didn't exactly tell him anything," Fan admitted awkwardly.

"What? what's that supposed to mean?" Nickel asked with a bitter chuckle.

"I just asked him why Balloon, and he figured out you must've told me what happened. It was an accident," Fan explained, shrugging uncomfortably.

Test Tube scooted away from Fan, crossing her arms and giving him a mean glare. Fan could tell she was upset, but he couldn't figure out why.

"What?" Fan asked nervously.

"Why do you care what Knife thinks about Balloon? And why do you want him to... like you over him?" Test Tube asked, clearly uncomfortable.

Panic surged through Fan. He raised his hands defensively and started to ramble.

"Whoa! Testy, I don't! I just want to be liked. Knife has always bullied me, but he flirts with Balloon? It offended me! It has nothing to do with anything else! I mean, I'm a cute redhead too! Balloon and I are practically the same! Why does he choose him?"

"Hey! You're nothing like me!" Balloon scoffed, crossing his arms. He couldn't believe Fan made that comparison.

"I dunno, Balloon... you both seem to have an obsession with being liked, even by the worst of people," Nickel pointed out.

Balloon scoffed, hating the comparison to Fan. No offence to Fan, but Balloon didn't see himself as anything like him and didn't want to be.

"So? Lots of people want to be liked. If Fan is so similar to me, why don't you go make out with him?" Balloon sassed.

"Oh, gross—I take it back!" Nickel laughed.

"Hey! I'm a great kisser!" Fan retorted, clearly offended.

"Good for you, bud," Nickel replied, rolling his eyes.

Test Tube remained distant, her eyes avoiding the conversation. She was silent and reserved, deeply worried about Fan and his strange obsession with Knife. This wasn't the first time at camp that he had said something concerning.

Fan could tell he was making her worried and knew he had to fix it. He took her hands and stared at her face, even though she wasn't looking at him.

"Test Tube... I promise, my love and commitment are with you. It wasn't like that. I just... I guess it's because, why am I so easy to bully and Balloon is not—no offence, Balloon. But it hurt! Maybe Balloon and I aren't the same, but why me? Am I a loser?" Fan frowned.

Test Tube sighed, turning her gaze to her troubled boyfriend. She believed him; she had no choice but to believe him. Placing her hand on his cheek, she stared into his eyes.

"Geez, Fan... you don't need to be liked by Knife. You're not a loser. Even if you were, you'd be my loser, and I love you. Why should anyone else's opinion matter?" She gently rubbed his cheek.

Fan sighed and nodded, leaning into her touch.

"Okay, you're right," he admitted. "I'm sorry."

"But I think you should stay away from Knife. He's bad news. He's bullied you in the past, so what's stopping him now? He's clearly a bad person. If you get infatuated with trying to make him like you, it could be extremely dangerous for you. So please, promise me you'll stay away from him, Fan," Test Tube asked seriously. She didn't trust Knife around her boyfriend; something about it seemed off.

"Okay... I will stay away from him," Fan nodded in agreement. He kind of wanted to after what happened between them, which nobody knew about. He hadn't expected that. He'd asked why Knife flirted with Balloon and not him, and then Knife flirted with him. He couldn't really complain, but if Test Tube ever found out about that moment with Knife, she'd probably try to kill him. She was extremely protective of Fan.

"She's right, you know," Nickel spoke up. "Knife is dangerous... and that goes for you too, Balloon. This isn't a jealousy thing; you need to stay clear of him. Please—I can't imagine what he could do. I mean, he did—" Nickel stopped.

"He... did what?" Balloon tilted his head with concern.

"Uh—I forgot." Nickel mentally facepalmed; that was an awful cover.

"Oh my god... Knife hurt you, didn't he? That's why you disappeared for so long! You got into a fight!" Balloon cried.

"It wasn't really a fight..." Nickel muttered.

"So he did hurt you! Nickel, why the hell did you lie to me?" Balloon turned to him, disappointed that Nickel had lied but mostly worried that Knife had beaten him up.

All eyes were turned to Nickel now, curious to hear what happened.

"That's why the bruises look so bad–" Paintbrush pointed out.

Nickel scoffed. "Come on, guys, it wasn't that serious! He just shoved me to the ground and kicked me. But I shouldn't have approached him. I'm fine, really. I'm more worried about you, Balloon. You really should stay away from him." Nickel was worried Balloon would confront Knife now, which he couldn't have. He didn't want Balloon anywhere near Knife, especially after what Knife had threatened before attacking him.

Balloon looked deeply concerned, clearly upset and conflicted. He was mad that Nickel lied to him, but he understood it might have been to avoid worrying him or to avoid seeming weak. Regardless, Nickel shouldn't have lied. He was also furious at Knife—who did he think he was? Knife had no right to hurt Nickel, who had done nothing wrong. It made Balloon so mad.

"I won't go near him," Balloon stated. "I promise... just please, stay away from him too. And please don't lie to me, Nickel. If you want a relationship with me, we need transparency. Lies have only ever hurt us in the past, so please, just be open with me." Balloon practically begged.

Nickel felt awful for not telling Balloon. He had wanted to protect him, knowing Balloon would worry, and he was still fearful that Balloon might confront Knife and get hurt. He could see the anger in Balloon's eyes; Balloon probably wanted to hunt Knife down right now. But a few words wouldn't change anything—Knife didn't use words; he used anger and violence. Nickel couldn't risk Balloon getting hurt. He couldn't let Balloon out of his sight now.

Still, Nickel knew he couldn't say all this. Balloon would see it as pointless excuses and get more upset with him for arguing. So Nickel huffed and nodded. "Yeah. I don't plan on going near him. You're right, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just didn't want to worry you," Nickel said, leaving his other reasons out.

"At least if I know, I know that I need to protect you. Okay? We'll both stay away from him, and everything will be okay. That goes for Test Tube and Fan too... all of us, in fact. He clearly has a problem with us. So, we just stay away, and there won't be a problem, right?" Balloon hoped this would be true.

"Balloon's right. If we just stay away from him, everything should be fine," Test Tube agreed.

Fan twiddled his thumbs, looking anxious and out of it. He couldn't stop thinking about how Knife had acted towards him, the way he backed him into that counter. It was like the old days when he used to bully Fan, but without the punches. Instead, Knife had this look in his eye, like he knew the closeness was messing with Fan. The way he smirked and got closer, it felt like he was taking advantage of Fan's emotions. Fan didn't want to feel anything for Knife, but something about the big, rough, popular bully—because that's what he was—standing over him, staring deeply into his eyes, touching his hair... It drove Fan mental. He didn't even like Knife romantically, but there was this raw tension that gave him the shivers and made him flustered so easily. Fan hated it, but at the same time, he wanted more. It filled him with adrenaline.

Fan snapped out of his trance. He couldn't think about Knife right now, not when Nickel had been beaten up. He needed to apologise; this was his fault, after all. If he had never approached Knife, never let his jealousy get the better of him, none of this would have happened. He felt sick with shame.

"Nickel, I'm really sorry..." Fan murmured suddenly. "I—I shouldn't have even gone near Knife, let alone opened my mouth. None of this would've happened. I wouldn't have triggered you to approach him, and then Knife wouldn't have hurt you..." Fan rambled on, trembling as he spoke.

Test Tube placed a hand on Fan's back and rubbed it gently. "Love... it's okay. It's not your fault that Knife is a maniac," she assured him. "Right, Nickel?" She glared at Nickel.

Nickel scoffed. He did blame Fan a little, but he knew it was best to avoid a fight right now, so he simply agreed. "Sure. Whatever."

There was a moment of silence in the room, the tension high and the mood sombre. One question had ruined the game of truth or dare before it could truly begin. Paintbrush looked unimpressed, while Lightbulb seemed extremely nervous, unsure of what to say. It was a lot to take in at once. Both she and Paintbrush seemed to be the only ones not involved in the whole Knife drama, which was good, but it also meant they didn't have much to contribute to the conversation.

"Can we please continue the game?" Lightbulb muttered nervously.

Balloon sighed in relief. "Yeah, that would be nice. I need to stop thinking about all this drama."

Nickel unravelled his shirt from the ice pack and tossed it aside; it had gotten warm. He slipped his cold shirt on and shivered from the chill left by the ice pack. Carefully, he shifted down beside Balloon, pulling the blanket from the bed and wrapping it around both of them.

Test Tube and Fan also relocated to the floor, forming a small circle. Test Tube and Fan, Paintbrush and Lightbulb, Nickel and Balloon, all in a small circle, each couple cuddled up to their significant other, sharing a blanket, it was nice.

The game continued without any serious or strenuous tasks, as everyone was tired. Silly truths and simple dares were the order of the night. Despite yawning and struggling to keep their eyes open, they pushed through, enjoying their wholesome little game of truth or dare. They all agreed to head to bed by 1 a.m., which was still half an hour away.

"Truth or dare, Paintbrush?" Test Tube asked.

"Truth," Paintbrush replied bluntly.

"Who here is the worst at flirting, that you've seen?" Test Tube asked, genuinely curious about Paintbrush's opinion.

"The worst? Nickel. Because he makes me cringe," Paintbrush stated.

"Hey! Cringe doesn't mean the worst!" Nickel protested. "Balloon, you like my flirting, right?" he turned to his crush.

"Ehhh..." Balloon giggled before quickly adding, "I'm kidding! It's cute!"

"It better be..." Nickel playfully teased.

...

"Truth or dare, Balloon?" Paintbrush asked.

"Hm... truth?" Balloon replied, too tired for any more dares, and nobody was really pushing dares anyway.

"Alright... when did you first realise that Nickel was gay?" Paintbrush was curious to hear the answer.

Nickel raised a brow at the question but let it go. He was gay, after all; there was no hiding that.

"When I first realised Nickel was gay... Wow... I think I always just kind of knew," Balloon chuckled. It wasn't even much of a joke; he had genuinely sensed it since they met.

"What? No way," Nickel protested.

"You do give off gay vibes," Paintbrush pointed out.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Nickel snickered.

...

Half an hour later, it was time to wrap up their game. Lightbulb had already passed out, peacefully sleeping on Paintbrush's shoulder. The others were struggling to keep their eyes open. With a yawn, Test Tube suggested they go to bed, and everyone agreed. It had been a long day, and a good night's rest would help them feel refreshed for whatever drama they might face tomorrow.

Paintbrush carefully scooped Lightbulb into their arms and walked over to their bed. They gently laid her down and pulled her fluffy blanket over her. Paintbrush paused for a moment, smiling as they admired their girlfriend peacefully sleeping, before slipping in beside her. As soon as Paintbrush lay down, they wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.

Test Tube and Fan followed suit, climbing into bed together. No one bothered with pyjamas; it was late, and everyone was exhausted. The moment Test Tube lay down, Fan snuggled up close, resting his head on her chest and using her as a pillow. Test Tube sighed contentedly, wrapping an arm around her short boyfriend. She gently stroked his soft hair as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Nickel and Balloon didn't go to sleep right away. Balloon sat on the floor, leaning against the bed, while Nickel rested his head in Balloon's lap, gazing up at him with pure love in his eyes. Balloon softly hummed, running his fingers through Nickel's hair. They stayed like this, savouring the moment, staring into each other's eyes, and appreciating how far they had come. They were grateful to have each other; it felt perfect, like this was exactly where they were meant to be.

Balloon shifted slightly, covering a soft yawn with his hand. Nickel reached up, gently taking Balloon's hand and lowering it to his lips. He kissed it softly, closing his eyes and nuzzling into it. Balloon smiled at Nickel's loving gesture, still marvelling at their recent intimacy. Though they were currently friends with benefits, Balloon was still processing a lot, especially the complications involving Knife.

He genuinely cared for Nickel, feeling something he had never felt for anyone before. Despite his strong feelings, fear kept him from committing to being Nickel's boyfriend just yet. He was content with their current arrangement, even though he desired more. Until his mind was clear, this was enough. Nickel understood and accepted this. Everything had happened so quickly—this was only day four at the camp, and so much had transpired between them in that short time. They both needed time to process it all, especially with the ongoing issues with Knife.

Their priority now was to stay clear of Knife, particularly for Balloon's sake. Nickel wasn't sure if Knife was bluffing about ruining their relationship or if he was serious, which put Nickel on edge and made him overly protective. He couldn't bear the thought of Balloon being out of his sight tomorrow; the stress would be overwhelming.

Balloon couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt as he looked down at Nickel. If he had just stayed clear of Knife in the first place, none of this would have happened. He knew how Nickel felt about him and was aware of Nickel's fear of being abandoned. Yet, he still allowed Knife to get close to him. Although the second encounter wasn't entirely his fault, as Knife deliberately came onto him to upset Nickel, Balloon couldn't defend himself. He went silent, feeling overwhelmed by a sense of weakness.

He had told Nickel he could stand up for himself, but the truth was, he couldn't—and Nickel could see that. Balloon had thought he was tough enough to face Knife, but now he was bruised and battered from trying to defend his crush. He felt partially responsible for everything that had happened.

"Nickel... I'm curious, what happened when you approached Knife, despite him hurting you." Balloon felt like he needed to know what caused this so he could make sure they were both safe.

Nickel opened his eyes, worry evident in his expression. He didn't want to tell Balloon what had happened, but he knew Balloon wouldn't let it go until he did.

"I called him out on his bullshit," Nickel began. "I was on edge, and I couldn't take my anger out on Fan. I needed to yell at someone. So, I confronted him about flirting with you, knowing how I felt about you. He got mad and said he could do whatever he wanted." Nickel huffed. "That's when he grabbed me and threw me onto the floor. He stomped on my side with his boot and then kicked me. It hurt like hell..." Nickel chuckled a little. "I know I should've just left it, but I got carried away and told him that we, uh—" Nickel bit his lip and looked away, regretting that he had mentioned to Knife that he and Balloon had made out.

"You told him? Nickel..." Balloon sighed in disappointment.

"I'm sorry! He was all over you, and my jealousy got the better of me. I wanted to shove it in his face." Nickel huffed. "He got really mad... too mad."

"Yeah... you think?" Balloon replied sarcastically. "You didn't have to shove that in his face. What happened to not caring what others thought?" Balloon asked with a hint of sass.

"This is different! I don't care what Knife thinks; I care that he thinks he can flirt with you right under my nose. I wanted him to see you were—well, seeing someone." Nickel realised he might have made a mistake. Approaching Knife and telling him about their relationship had only escalated things. None of this would've happened if he had taken Knife's threat seriously and stayed away. But he had to speak up, and now he regretted it.

"Mhm, now look at you," Balloon said, shaking his head. "I am never going to forgive Knife for what he did. I can't believe he even hurt you." He moved his hand away from Nickel's lips and ran it down his chest, lifting Nickel's shirt slightly to examine the bruise. It had turned a dark purple and looked really nasty. For some reason, Balloon lifting his shirt like that gave Nickel chills, but he ignored it and grabbed Balloon's hand, pulling it back up to his lips and giving it another soft kiss.

"We should get into bed," Balloon suggested with a small smile.

"Ugh... I'm comfortable here!" Nickel whined playfully.

"I'm not!" Balloon laughed. "It's uncomfortable on the floor." He gently pushed Nickel off of him and moved onto the bed.

Nickel whined when Balloon left, but he willingly followed, carefully getting off the floor and scooting in beside him. They pressed up against each other as they lay in the single bed. Nickel nuzzled into Balloon's chest, wrapping his arms around him and basking in his warmth. Balloon smiled and extended an arm to wrap around Nickel in return. This felt nice. It was comforting to know they no longer had to feel ashamed for cuddling up to each other. This felt right, it felt safe.

"Goodnight Nickel..." Balloon softly murmured as his eyes fell closed.

"Night Looney..." sighed softly.